ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Ministry of Home Affairs
NIDM organizes Conference On Disability-Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Pathways For Inclusion and Action for Resilience
The National Institute of Disaster Management , organized “National Conference on Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction: Pathways for Inclusion and Action for Resilience” here today. The one-day conference was organized in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities , Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment , as a run up to National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction  in May 2020. The event was focused to bring together the stakeholders from Disaster Risk Reduction  and disability inclusion to deliberate on actions and strategies for mainstreaming disability-inclusion in DRR process.
Presiding over the function, Shri Kamal Kishore, the Member of the National Disaster Management Authority , highlighted the need for development of a holistic approach for disability-inclusion in DRR. He emphasized on the empowerment of the persons with disabilities for inclusion in disaster risk reduction. He also emphasized on mainstreaming of disability inclusion in local level actions.
Presenting the Special Address, Shri S.N. Pradhan, Director General, National Disaster Response Force  emphasized on the need of training of the first responders of disaster management to achieve disability-inclusion. He explained the challenges faced in rescuing disabled victims during disaster scenarios.
Delivering the welcome address, Major General Manoj Kumar Bindal, Executive Director, National Institute of Disaster Management , highlighted the present gaps in disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction and he also prioritized the need of capacity building programs for mainstreaming disability inclusion at all levels.
Addressing the inaugural session, Dr. K.V.S. Rao, Director, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment , Government of India , also emphasized on the involvement of all the stakeholders in the decision-making process. He highlighted the scope of development of assistive devices and technologies with an aim to empower the persons with disabilities.
The inaugural session was followed by three technical sessions: “Disability inclusion in DRR: Need for a Holistic Approach”; “Mainstreaming Action in Local level Action” and “Participation of PwD’s in Disaster Risk Reduction Process”. Several eminent speakers from the field of DRR and disability-inclusion like Shri Mihir Bhat and Dr. Asha Hans among others shared their views and experience to pave the way forward for building disability-inclusive resilient development. Senior officials and representatives from various departments of various states and NGOs participated the conference. The valedictory for the conference was addressed by Smt. Shakuntala Gamlin, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities , Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment , and Shri G.V.V Sarma, the Member Secretary, NDMA.
Ministry of Finance
Finance Ministry responds to Moody’s change in outlook
Government of India has noted that the Moody’s Investors Service has today changed the outlook on the Government of India’s ratings to negative from stable while keeping the foreign-currency and local-currency long-term issuer ratings unchanged at Baa2.
However, India continues to be among the fastest growing major economies in the world, India’s relative standing remains unaffected.IMF in their latest World Economic Outlook has stated that Indian Economy is set to grow at 6.1% in 2019, picking up to 7 % in 2020. As India’s potential growth rate remains unchanged, assessment by IMF and other multilateral organizations continue to underline a positive outlook on India.
The Government has undertaken series of financial sector and other reforms to strengthen the economy as a whole. Government of India has also proactively taken policy decisions in response to the global slowdown. These measures would lead to a positive outlook on India and would attract capital flows and stimulate investments.
The fundamentals of the economy remain quite robust with inflation under check and bond yields low. India continues to offer strong prospects of growth in near and medium term.
Ministry of Women and Child Development
Officials of Ministry of Women and Child Development celebrate 9th International Day of Yoga
Officials of the Miinistry of Women and Child Development joined the yoga programme on the 9th International Day of Yoga at NIPCCD, New Delhi today with full zest with the aim of promoting physical and emotional well-being.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves India's Approach to UN Climate Change Conference to be held in Spain next week
The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today approved the negotiating stand of India at the 25th Conference of Parties  to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change  scheduled to be held in Madrid, Spain  from 2-13 December 2019.
The Indian delegation will be led by Shri Prakash Javadekar, Hon'ble Minister, Environment, Forest and Climate Change. COP 25 is an important conference as countries prepare to move from pre-2020 period under Kyoto Protocol to post-2020 period under Paris Agreement. India's approach will be guided by principles and provisions of UNFCCC and Paris Agreement particularly the principles of Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capability .
India's leadership on climate change has been evident and well recognised across the globe. Government of India has been undertaking several initiatives to address climate change concerns under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi and these initiatives reflect India's commitment and ambition towards climate action. In the recently held Climate Action Summit convened by United Nations Secretary General, the Prime Minister announced India's plan on scaling up of renewable energy target to 450 GW and called for responsible action by all on the principles of equity and CBDR-RC. India has been leading the world in its pursuit of enhanced solar energy capacity through International Solar Alliance .
In addition to ISA, two new initiatives have been launched by India as part of its efforts to mobilize world on climate action. These include Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, which will serve as a platform to generate and exchange knowledge on different aspects of climate and disaster resilient infrastructure and 'Leadership Group for Industry Transition' launched jointly by India and Sweden, which will provide a platform for government and the private sector in different countries to work together on accelerating low carbon growth and cooperation in the area of technology innovation.
India has been ambitious in its actions and has emphasized that Developed countries should take lead in undertaking ambitious actions and fulfil their climate finance commitments of mobilizing USD 100 billion per annum by 2020 and progressively and substantially scale up their financial support to inform Parties for future action through NDCs. India will further stress upon need for fulfilling pre-2020 commitments by developed countries and that pre-2020 implementation gaps should not present an additional burden to developing countries in the post-2020 period.
Overall, India looks forward to engaging in negotiations with a constructive and positive outlook and work towards protecting its long-term development interests.
Prime Minister's Office
PM salutes the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has saluted the martyrs of Jallianwala Bagh massacre
"Saluting the martyrs of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Their valour & heroism will never be forgotten" the Prime Minister said.
Ministry of Railways
Premium Indent Policy
Policy guidelines for Premium Indent scheme have been issued in December 2020. Salient features of the policy are:–
- The customer can indicate a date of supply of rakes and also whether he/she will load if the rake is supplied after due date on Normal tariff rate.
- The customer is required to pay 5% premium on normal freight in advance. If the rake is supplied later than the indicated date on the indent, the premium paid is adjusted against the normal freight.
- On payment of 5% premium on normal freight, the indent is given priority and assurance in allocation of rake on nominated day indicated by him/her.
- In the goods shed also, the customer is permitted to place premium indent. Customer gets priority for allocation on two days, presently Monday and Friday, as notified under Preferential Traffic Order issued by Railway Board from time to time. On other days, normal order of priority of indents is followed.
- Premium Indent once placed cannot be withdrawn; withdrawal of the indent invites forfeiture of the premium paid.
- This premium indent policy is not applicable to restricted destinations and destinations regulated by quota.
- The scheme is optional.
This information was given by the Minister of Railways, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal in a written reply to a question in Lok Sabha today.
Cabinet
Cabinet approves MoU between India and Paraguay for Strengthening Cooperation in the field of Tourism
The Union Cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has given ex-post facto approval to the Memorandum of Understanding  between India and Paraguay for Strengthening Cooperation in the field of Tourism. The MoU was signed in New Delhi on 27th September, 2019.
Salient features and main objectives of the MoU:
- Expansion of bilateral cooperation in the tourism sector;
- Exchange of information and data related to tourism;
- Encouraging cooperation between tourism stakeholders including Hotels and Tour Operators and airlines;
- Establishing exchange programmes for cooperation in Human Resource Development;
- Investment in the Tourism and Hospitality sectors;
- Exchanging visits of Tour Operators/Media/Opinion-Makers for promotion of two-way tourism;
- Exchange of experience in the areas of promotion, marketing destination, development and management;
- Participation in travel fairs/exhibitions in each other’s country; and
- Promoting safe, honourable and sustainable tourism.
Benefits:
The MoU between India and Paraguay will help the two nations in creating an institutional mechanism for enhancing cooperation in the tourism sector. It will further help India in increasing foreign tourist arrivals from Paraguay, which in turn, will result in economic development and employment generation. It will create favourable conditions for long-term tourism cooperation for the mutual benefits of all stakeholders within the broader framework and areas of cooperation. The MoU will explore to incorporate the best practices in order to implement the measures that will realize the objectives set out in this MoU.
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
COVID-19 UPDATE
93.99 Cr. vaccine doses have been administered so far under Nationwide Vaccination Drive
19,740 new cases in the last 24 hours
Active cases account for less than 1% of total cases, currently at 0.70%; Lowest since March 2020
India's Active caseload stands at 2,36,643; lowest in 206 days
Recovery Rate currently at 97.98%; Highest since March 2020
23,070 recoveries in the last 24 hours increases Total Recoveries to 3,32,48,291
Weekly Positivity Rate  less than 3% for last 106 days
Daily positivity rate  less than 3% for last 40 days
58.13 cr Total Tests conducted so far
Prime Minister's Office
PM inaugurates LNG terminal and pipeline projects at Anjar
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Mundra LNG terminal, the Anjar-Mundra Pipeline Project and the Palanpur-Pali-Barmer pipeline project, at Anjar.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that the affection he receives in Kutch is unparalleled. He appreciated the development work that has happened in the Kutch region over the last 20 years.
He said that the inauguration of the LNG terminal is the highlight of today's programme. I am fortunate to have inaugurated three LNG terminals, he added.
Shri Narendra Modi said that when Gujarat got its first LNG terminal, people were surprised. Now, the State is poised to make a fourth LNG terminal, he added.
Gujarat is emerging as an LNG hub of India, the Prime Minister said, adding that this should make every Gujarati proud. Asserting that a strong energy sector is needed for the growth of any country, the Prime Minister said that we cannot alleviate poverty if we are energy poor.
The Prime Minister said that the aspirations of people are rising, and they want i-ways, gas grids, water grids, and optical fibre networks in addition to conventional infrastructure.
The Prime Minister said that there are ample opportunities in the tourism sector, and the world is keen to come to India. We have seen in Kutch too, how the White Rann has become the cynosure of all eyes from across the world, he added. He spoke of the steps taken by the Union Government to make the aviation sector more affordable and improve connectivity.
The Prime Minister also spoke of the efforts made to ensure that all villages are electrified, and the work being done towards electrifying every single household in India. We want to bring qualitative changes in the lives of the common citizen of India, he added.
Ministry of Science & Technology
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography, Signs MoU with Birla Institute Of Technology And Science–Goa
Goa, 11 October, 2022
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography  and BITS Pilani, KK Birla, Goa signed a Memorandum of Understanding  today to develop a long-term collaboration in the areas of education, training and research in the areas of biology, chemistry, marine instrumentation and high-performance computing.
The MoU was signed by Prof. Sunil Kumar Singh, Director, CSIR-NIO and Prof. Suman Kundu, Director, BITS, Pilani, - K.K. Birla Goa Campus in the presence of Prof. D. M. Kulkarni, Dean, Administration, Prof. Meenal Kowshik, Associate Dean, Sponsored Research and Consultancy Division, BITS Pilani, KK Birla, Goa and Dr. V.V. Sanil Kumar, and Shri. Venkat Krishnamurthy of CSIR-NIO.
CSIR-National Institute of Oceanography and BITS Pilani, KK Birla, Goa, have a long history of cooperation in various scientific domains of interest and this MoU will now facilitate a roadmap for further meaningful interactions that is drawn on mutual strengths of the two organizations in the specific fields of Oceanography. CSIR-NIO by virtue of its systematic and focused research in the field of ocean data collection, environmental impact assessment, and ocean modeling, has maintained the highest standards in this domain and thus this collaboration will now facilitate utilization and sharing the expertise of both the organizations with the latest developments in the field of oceanography.
PIBPanaji/GSK/SRT/PM
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Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment
Scholarships Scheme in Maharashtra
The Department implements the following two Centrally Sponsored Scholarship Schemes for SC students through the State Governments/UT Administrations) in all States/UTs, including Maharashtra:
 Post-Matric Scholarships to the Students belonging to Scheduled Castes for studies in India  that covers SC students studying at post-matriculation or post-secondary stage.
 Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes & Others that covers, inter alia, SC students studying in classes 9th and 10th.
These scholarships are provided to all SC students meeting the eligibility criteria as defined below:
- The student should be an Indian national studying in India;
- Student's parents’/guardians' income from all sources should not exceed Rs. 2.5 lakhs per annum during the last Financial Year.
The details of Central Assistance  released to the State Government of Maharashtra, CA utilized by the State, funds contributed by the State Government and beneficiaries covered under the aforementioned Schemes during each of the last three years is attached as Annexure.
Funds released by Central Government, Funds contributed by State Government of Maharashtra and beneficiaries covered under the PMS-SC and Pre-matric scholarship scheme for SC students
|
|
Year
|
|
Post-Matric Scholarship for SC students 
|
|
Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Castes
|
|
CA released 
|
|
CA utilized 
|
|
Funds contributed by State Government 
|
|
Beneficiaries covered
|
|
CA released 
|
|
CA utilized 
|
|
Funds contributed by State Government 
|
|
Beneficiaries covered
|
|
2019-20
|
|
NIL|
|
NIL
|
|
1053.35
|
|
345125
|
|
NIL
|
|
23.32$
|
|
NIL
|
|
99200
|
|
2020-21
|
|
558.00
|
|
558.00
|
|
372.08
|
|
156203
|
|
NIL
|
|
NIL
|
|
NIL
|
|
0
|
|
2021-22
|
|
63.01#
|
|
63.01#
|
|
0
|
|
68576#
|
|
NIL
|
|
NIL
|
|
NIL
|
|
0Under PMS-SC, the demand of the State of Maharashtra was within the Committed Liability  of the State. Accordingly, no CA was released for FY 2019-20.
#Central share of scholarship amounting to Rs. 63.01 Cr under PMS-SC was released in the beneficiaries’ accounts directly by the Department through DBT.
$Under Pre-Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC students, the State Govt. of Maharashtra was released Rs. 179.32 cr. during 2013-14 and 2014-15, out of which State utilized Rs. 98.59 cr. for disbursing scholarships for the years 2013-14 to 2017-18. Rs. 23.32 cr. of central funds were utilized by the State Government during the year 2019-20 with no expenditure reported in FY2018-19, FY2020-21 and FY 2021-22. Rs. 57.40 cr. unspent balance is available with the State Govt.
This information was given by Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Shri A. Narayanaswamy in the Lok Sabha in a written reply today.
Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions
Central Deputation for newly inducted IAS officers before they joined respective State/UT cadres is a path-breaking reform: Dr Jitendra Singh
Briefing about some major reforms recently brought by the Department of Personnel & Training  under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister of State  Development of North Eastern Region , MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh stated here today that a path-breaking decision to improve the governance was to introduce the provision for Central Deputation for newly inducted IAS officers before they joined the respective State/UT cadres allotted to them.
Elaborating on this, Dr. Jitendra Singh said that starting in 2015, the 2013 batch officers were posted for a 3 - month Central assignment with the designation of Assistant Secretary, on completion of Phase-II training at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. The basic objective was providing exposure to these young IAS officers to the functioning of Government of India and its priorities at an early stage of their career, soon after completion of their Phase-II training, he said.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, it is heartening to note that this experiment has been warmly welcomed by young IAS officers and even in their later years they continue to look back at the Central leadership and their mentors in the Government of India for guidance and further cues. During the COVID pandemic especially, it was noticed that the Collectors and Deputy Commissioners in different districts of India, who had gone through this process, were seen taking decisions with a higher degree of confidence and conviction, he added.
As per the programme introduced at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Assistant Secretaries are expected to give their inputs for improvement in various Flagship Programmes in different Ministries/Departments of Government of India. This not only gives them an opportunity to demonstrate their skill and talent but also an opportunity to make a presentation before the Prime Minister of India, which is an opportunity that might have eluded their senior batches.
Since its introduction, the scheme is successfully continuing and 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 batch officers were posted in 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. The programme for 2018 batch IAS officers, however, got delayed due to COVID-19.
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SNC
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Ministry of Civil Aviation
Ministry of Civil Aviation Launches UDAN 5.0
Following the four successful rounds of bidding, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched the 5th round of the Regional Connectivity Scheme  – Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik  to further enhance the connectivity to remote and regional areas of the country and achieve last mile connectivity.
Key Features of UDAN 5.0 are as follows:
- This round of UDAN focuses on Category-2  and Category-3 .
- The earlier stage length cap of 600 km is waived off and there is no restriction on the distance between the origin and destination of the flight.
- Viability gap funding  to be provided will be capped at 600 km stage length for both Priority and Non-Priority areas which was earlier capped at 500 km.
- No predetermined routes would be offered. Only Network and Individual Route Proposal proposed by airlines will be considered.
- The airlines would be required to submit an action/business plan after 2 months from the issuance of LoA wherein they submit their aircraft acquisition plan/availability of aircraft, crew, slots, etc. at the time of the Technical Proposal.
- The same route will not be awarded to a single airline more than once, whether in different networks or in the same network.
- Exclusivity will be withdrawn if the average quarterly PLF is higher than 75% for four continuous quarters, to prevent exploitation of the monopoly on a route.
- 25% of the Performance Guarantee to be encashed for each month of delay up to 4 months, to further incentivize quick operationalization.
- Airlines would be required to commence operations within 4 months of the award of the route. Earlier this deadline was 6 months.
- A list of airports that are ready for operation or would soon be ready for operations has been included in the scheme to facilitate quicker operationalization of routes under the Scheme.
- Novation process for routes from one operator to another is simplified and incentivized.
Commenting on the launch of UDAN 5.0, the Minister of Civil Aviation & Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia said, “UDAN has proved to be a lifeblood of many regions which are now well connected with places across the country. This new & stronger version of the scheme will raise the momentum, connecting new routes, and bring us closer to the target of operationalizing 1000 routes & 50 additional airports, heliports, and water aerodromes in the near future. अब उड़ेगा देश का हर आम नागरिक!”
UDAN Scheme has benefitted a diverse set of stakeholders. Passengers have got the benefits of air connectivity, airlines have received concessions for operating regional routes, unserved regions have received the direct and indirect benefits of air connectivity for their economic development. It is another step towards the prime minister’s vision of the common man traveling by air at affordable and subsidized airfares.